Looking up: TN will hope Sai Kishore can convey dwelling the title.
| Photo Credit: File Photo: SS KUMAR
Left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore will lead Tamil Nadu within the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season and Pradosh Ranjan Paul might be his deputy.
On Monday, the State senior choice committee picked a 15-member squad for the premier home competitors that begins on January 5, 2024. Incidentally, Sai Kishore had been earmarked as a future skipper by the earlier choice committee, which named him skipper for the ultimate two matches of the final season. However, the 27-year-old led solely in a single recreation as he had to miss the ultimate league encounter due to sickness.
TN hasn’t certified for the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy because the 2016-17 season and has not received a title since its triumph within the 1987-88 season.
In a vital enhance to the tempo assault, left-arm fast T. Natarajan makes a comeback to the squad for the primary time in three years, having final performed in 2020 in opposition to Railways in Chennai. Incidentally, his final First-Class recreation was his Test debut in opposition to Australia in Brisbane in 2021. Similarly, medium-pacer all-rounder M. Mohammed additionally returns to the staff after being dropped within the earlier yr.
Madhya Pradesh pacer Kuldeep Sen, who joined as a visitor participant of the season, is unavailable for the primary few video games due to private causes and can be a part of the squad as soon as he’s obtainable.
However, the large surprise was the omission of the skilled B. Aparajith from the squad. The selectors have as a substitute gone for younger batters B. Sachin and R. Vimal Khumar, who’ve performed properly within the first-division league and age-group tournaments in current instances.
“We are looking to build a team for the future and have got a mix of youth and experience. There are some good players coming through the under-19 and under-23 levels as well, and we want to start the transition process slowly,” stated U.R. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the choice committee.
The staff will play two warm-up video games in opposition to Baroda in Vadodara from December 22 to January 1, 2024.
The squad: R. Sai Kishore (Capt.), Pradosh Ranjan Paul, M.S. Washington Sundar, B. Sai Sudharsan, N. Jagadeesan, B. Indrajith, Vijay Shankar, S. Lokeshwar, S. Ajith Ram, B. Sachin, M. Mohammed, Sandeep Warrier, T. Natarajan, R. Vimal Khumar and H. Trilok Nag.
TN’s marketing campaign: Jan. 5-8: vs Gujarat (Valsad); Jan. 12-15: vs Tripura (Agartala); Jan. 19-22: vs Railways (Coimbatore); Jan. 26-29: vs Chandigarh (Salem); Feb. 2-5: vs Goa (Porvorim); Feb. 9-12: vs Karnataka (MAC, Chennai); Feb. 16-19: vs Punjab (Coimbatore).
